An airbag device includes a door (16), an inflator (18), and an airbag (20). The door (16), provided in a vehicle-body outer panel (12), is opened to open an opening (12A) in the vehicle-body outer panel (12) when a predetermined situation occurs. The inflator (18) is disposed inside the door (16). The inflator (18) includes a gas-injection port (36) that is closer to the end (16B) of the door (16) in the longitudinal direction of the door (16) than to the center of the door (16) in the longitudinal direction of the door (16). The airbag (20) is disposed at a predetermined position inside the vehicle-body outer panel (12). When the predetermined situation occurs, the airbag (20) is inflated by the pressure of the gas supplied from the inflator (18) to open the door (16), and the airbag (20) passes through the opening (12A) in the vehicle-body outer panel (12), and is deployed toward the outside of a vehicle body. The high inflation pressure of the airbag (20) is applied to the end (16B) of the door (16).
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1. An airbag device comprising:
a door which is provided in a hood outer panel, and which is opened to open an opening in the hood outer panel when a predetermined situation occurs;
an inflator which is disposed inside the door, and which includes a gas-injection port that is disposed such that pressure of gas applied to an end of the door in a longitudinal direction of the door is higher than pressure of the gas applied to a center of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door; and
an airbag that is disposed at a predetermined position inside the hood outer panel,
wherein when the predetermined situation occurs, the airbag is inflated by the pressure of the gas supplied from the inflator to open the door, and the airbag passes through the opening in the hood outer panel, and is deployed toward an outside of a vehicle body; and
wherein the gas-injection port is disposed in an area that overlaps at least an attachment hinge provided in the door, in the longitudinal direction of the door.
2. The airbag device according to
3. The airbag device according to
4. The airbag device according to
5. The airbag device according to
6. The airbag device according to
wherein a position of the gas-injection port is set such that a reference position of the gas-injection port is at a distance of 50 mm to 150 mm from the end of the door toward the center of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door, and
wherein the reference position is a centroid of a single hole of the gas-injection port, or a centroid of a predetermined hole among a plurality of holes of the gas-injection port, a force of the gas injected through the predetermined hole being greatest among forces of the gas injected through all the plurality of holes of the gas-injection port.
7. The airbag device according to
8. The airbag device according to
a diffuser pipe that is fitted to the inflator.
9. The airbag device according to
10. The airbag device according to
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1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an airbag device that includes an airbag that is deployed toward the outside of a vehicle body, such as a hood airbag device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-8-11662 describes a hood airbag device including an airbag that is deployed toward the outside of a vehicle body. When the airbag device operates, a lid (door) having a rectangular shape, which covers an opening formed in a hood, is opened by the deployment force of the airbag. Then, the airbag passes through the opening, and is deployed toward the outside of the vehicle body.
The hood airbag device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-8-11662 is proposed on the assumption that the door has a rectangular shape. Therefore, for example, in the case where the door is elongate in a vehicle-width direction, or in the case where the door is curved, the output of an inflator needs to be increased to sufficiently open the entire door from the center to the ends. This results in an increase in the cost.
It is an object of the invention to make it possible to sufficiently open an entire door that is elongate in a longitudinal direction, from the center to the ends, when an airbag is deployed.
A first aspect of the invention relates to an airbag device that includes a door, an inflator, and an airbag. The door, provided in a vehicle-body outer panel, is opened to open an opening in the vehicle-body outer panel when a predetermined situation occurs. The inflator is disposed inside the door. The inflator includes a gas-injection port that is disposed such that the pressure of gas applied to the end of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door is higher than the pressure of the gas applied to the center of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door. The airbag is disposed at a predetermined position inside the vehicle-body outer panel. When the predetermined situation occurs, the airbag is inflated by the pressure of the gas supplied from the inflator to open the door, and the airbag passes through the opening in the vehicle-body outer panel, and is deployed toward the outside of a vehicle body.
In the airbag device according to the first aspect, the gas-injection port of the inflator is disposed such that the pressure of gas applied to the end of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door is higher than the pressure of the gas applied to the center of the door in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the airbag device operates, the high inflation pressure of the airbag is applied not only to the center of the door, but also to the ends of the door, due to the injection of the gas. Thus, even when the door is elongate in the longitudinal direction, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened.
In the first aspect, the inflator may be disposed such that the gas-injection port is closer to the end of the door than to the center of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door.
With this configuration, when the airbag device operates, the high inflation pressure of the airbag is applied also to the ends of the door, due to the injection of the gas. Thus, even the ends of the door can be sufficiently opened.
Also, when the airbag is deployed, it is possible to sufficiently open the entire door that is elongate in the longitudinal direction, from the center to the ends.
In the above-described aspect, a pair of inflators may be disposed such that the gas-injection port of each of the inflators is closer to the corresponding end of the door than to the center of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door.
With this configuration, when the airbag device operates, the high inflation pressure of the airbag is applied also to the ends of the door, due to the injection of the gas. Thus, even the ends of the door can be sufficiently opened.
In the above-described aspect, the gas-injection port may be disposed in the area that overlaps at least an attachment hinge provided in the door, in the longitudinal direction of the door.
With this configuration, when the airbag device operates, the greatest force of the injected gas is applied to the attachment hinge provided in the door, via the airbag. Therefore, the force required to open the door can be effectively transmitted to the door, and the door can be sufficiently opened.
In the above-described aspect, the attachment hinge, which overlaps the area in which the gas-injection port is disposed, may be an attachment hinge closest to the end of the door, among a plurality of attachment hinges provided in the door in the longitudinal direction of the door.
According to the above-described aspect, the gas-injection port of the inflator is disposed in the area that overlaps the attachment hinge closest to each end of the door, among the plurality of attachment hinges provided in the door in the longitudinal direction of the door. Therefore, when the airbag device operates, the greatest force of the injected gas is applied to the attachment hinge closest to each end, and the area around the attachment hinge, via the airbag. As a result, the high inflation pressure of the airbag is applied even to the ends of the door. Thus, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened.
According to the above-described aspect, the gas-injection port is close to the attachment hinge closest to each end of the door in the longitudinal direction, among the plurality of attachment hinges provided in the door in the longitudinal direction of the door. Alternatively, the gas-injection port is closer to the end of the door than the attachment hinge closest to the end of the door is. Therefore, when the airbag device operates, the high inflation pressure of the airbag is applied even to the ends of the door. Thus, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened.
In the above-described aspect, at least the attachment hinge closest to the end of the door may include a deformable portion that can be plastically deformed when the door is opened. Also, the deformable portion may include a droop portion that is elongate, and extends downward from a connection portion connected to the door, and an intermediate portion that extends toward the rear of a vehicle from the droop portion.
In the airbag device according to the above-described aspect, at least the attachment hinge closest to each end of the door includes the deformable portion that can be plastically deformed when the door is opened. When the great force of the gas injected from the inflator is applied to the attachment hinge that includes the deformable portion, the deformable portion is gradually plastically deformed, and accordingly the door is opened. In other words, the gas-injection port of the inflator is disposed in the area that overlaps the attachment hinge closest to each end of the door, because the entire door from the center to the ends cannot be sufficiently opened unless at least the attachment hinge closest to each end of the door is sufficiently plastically deformed.
According to the above-described aspect, when the airbag device operates, the deformable portion can be sufficiently plastically deformed by the inflation pressure of the airbag. Thus, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened. Also, because the door cannot be opened unless at least the attachment hinge closest to each end of the door is plastically deformed, the door is stably attached to the vehicle-body outer panel when the airbag device does not operate.
In the above-described aspect, the gas-injection port may be provided at a position corresponding to the position of each of all the attachment hinges.
In the airbag device according to the above-described aspect, the gas-injection port is provided at a position corresponding to each of all the attachment hinges. Therefore, when the airbag device operates, the force of the gas injected from the inflators is efficiently applied to all the attachment hinges, and a sufficient moment is applied to the door so that the door pivots around the attachment hinges, and is opened. Particularly in the case where the attachment hinge includes the deformable portion that can be plastically deformed, a moment required to sufficiently plastically deform the deformable portion can be applied to the door.
Thus, according to the above-described aspect, the entire door can be sufficiently opened.
In the above-described aspect, the position of the gas-injection port may be set such that a reference position of the gas-injection port is at the distance of 50 mm to 150 mm from the end of the door toward the center of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door. The reference position is the centroid of a single hole of the gas-injection port, or the centroid of a predetermined hole among a plurality of holes of the gas-injection port, the force of the gas injected through the predetermined hole being greatest among forces of the gas injected through all the plurality of holes of the gas-injection port.
The position of the gas-injection port of the inflator is set such that the reference position of the gas-injection port is at the distance of 50 mm to 150 mm from the end of the door in the longitudinal direction of the door, because the door can be sufficiently opened when the reference position of the gas-injection port is in this range.
With this configuration, when the airbag device operates, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened by the inflation pressure of the airbag.
According to the above-described aspect, when the airbag device operates, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened by the inflation pressure of the airbag.
In the above-described aspect, the gas-injection port may be composed of the plurality of holes that are arranged in a staggered manner in the end portion of the inflator in the longitudinal direction of the door.
The airbag device according to the above-described aspect may further include a diffuser pipe that is fitted to the inflator.
In the above-described aspect, the diffuser pipe may have an L-shape, and the gas-injection port may be the end portion of the diffuser pipe, which is open to the door. Also, the diffuser pipe may be elongate in the longitudinal direction of the door, and the gas-injection port may be composed of a plurality of holes that are arranged in the outer peripheral surface of the diffuser pipe.
In the above-described aspect, the door may be curved in the plan view of the door.
According to the above-described aspect, even in the case where the door is curved in the plan view of the door, when the airbag device operates, the entire door from the center to the ends can be sufficiently opened by the inflation pressure of the airbag.
The foregoing and/or further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of example embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and wherein:
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In
The door 16, which is a covering body, is provided in the hood outer panel 12. When a predetermined situation occurs, that is, when an impactor (not shown) hits the front bumper 24 of a vehicle 22 in which the airbag device 10 according to the embodiment is employed, the door 16 is opened by an airbag 20 that is inflated and deployed. Then, the door 16 opens an opening 12A in the hood outer panel 12, as shown in
As shown in
Further, attachment hinges 26 are provided in the rear edge portion 16A of the door 16 at three positions, for example, a center position and positions near both ends 16B. The attachment hinges 26 connect the door 16 to the hood 14 such that the door 16 is opened in a predetermined direction, for example, toward the rear of the vehicle when the airbag 20 is inflated. More specifically, as shown in
The attachment hinge 26 has a deformable portion 26B that can be plastically deformed when the door 16 is opened. For example, the deformable portion 26B of the attachment hinge 26 is formed to be bent so that the required amount of deformation stroke can be obtained. More specifically, the deformable portion 26B includes a droop portion 26E and an intermediate portion 26D. The droop portion 26E is elongate, and extends downward from the connection portion 26C connected to the door 16. The intermediate portion 26D extends from the droop portion 26E toward the rear of the vehicle. The one end 26A of the attachment hinge 26 obliquely extends from the rear end of the intermediate portion 26D toward the bottom of the vehicle. In the case where the center of the door 16 protrudes toward the front of the vehicle, and the attachment hinge 26 at the center position includes the deformable portion 26B as shown in
As shown in
In
The gas-injection port 36 may have various configurations, as shown in
Further,
Thus, the centroid of the hole, which is most effective in sufficiently opening the end 16B of the door 16, is selected as the reference position of the gas-injection port 36. In
In the case where the gas-injection port 36 is composed of holes arranged in a large area in the longitudinal direction of the inflator 18 as shown in
The manner in which the gas-injection port 36 overlaps the attachment hinge 26 is defined for the sake of convenience, as described above. However, for example, in the case where the gas is injected in the direction inclined with respect to the vehicle-height direction or vehicle fore-and-aft direction, the gas-injection port 36 is positioned such that sufficient pressure of gas is applied to the attachment hinge 26 via the airbag 20, irrespective of whether the gas-injection port 36 overlaps the attachment hinge 26. Accordingly, in this case, the position of the centroid, which is regarded as the reference position of the gas-injection port 36, does need to be strictly set.
In the case where each of all the attachment hinges 26 includes the deformable portion 26B, it is preferable that inflator 18 be provided at a position corresponding to the position of each of all the attachment hinges 26 (that is, it is preferable that three inflators 18 be provided in this embodiment). In the case where the door 16 is short in the vehicle-width direction, only one inflator 18 may be provided.
As shown in
The case 48 is fixed on an attachment member 46 that is fitted to the lower surface of the hood inner panel 28 using a bolt 42 and a nut 44. The case 48 is inserted into an insertion hole 28A formed in the lower surface of the hood inner panel 28, and is disposed inside the hood 14. As shown in
The invention is not limited to one door 16 provided in the hood outer panel 12. As shown in
Hereinafter, the effects obtained in this embodiment will be described. If an impactor collides with the front bumper 24 of the vehicle 22 to which the airbag device 10 is applied, an airbag ECU operates the inflator 18 in response to a signal from a frontal-collision sensor. Thus, a large amount of gas is supplied into the airbag 20 from the inflator 18. In
As shown in
As shown in
In this embodiment, the vehicle-body outer panel is the hood outer panel 12. However, the vehicle-body outer panel is not limited to the hood outer panel 12. For example, the vehicle-body outer panel may be a cowl or a roof. Also, although a pair of inflators 18 is used in this embodiment, three or more inflators 18 may be used.
Takahashi, Hiroyuki, Satou, Yoshimitsu
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
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Mar 20 2007 | TAKAHASHI, HIROYUKI | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 020846 | /0359 | |
Mar 20 2007 | SATOU, YOSHIMITSU | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 020846 | /0359 |
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